Vehicle having a continuously variable transmission

ABSTRACT

A vehicle includes a continuously variable transmission (CVT) operatively connected to an engine, the CVT being disposed on a right side of the engine. A sub-transmission is operatively connected to the CVT and includes: an output shaft rotatable about an output shaft axis; a plurality of sub-transmission driven members mounted to the output shaft and operatively connected to the CVT, the plurality of sub-transmission driven members including a first sub-transmission driven member and a second sub-transmission driven member; a shifter selectively drivingly engaging the first sub-transmission driven member and the second sub-transmission driven member with the output shaft; and a sub-transmission driving member mounted to the output shaft and rotatable therewith. One of a differential assembly and a spool operatively connects the sub-transmission driving member to at least one ground-engaging member of the vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 63/357,561, entitled “Vehicle Having a ContinuouslyVariable Transmission,” filed Jun. 30, 2023, the entirety of which isincorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present technology relates to vehicles having a continuouslyvariable transmission (CVT).

BACKGROUND

Some vehicles, such as off-road vehicles (e.g., side-by-side vehicles(SSVs)), have a powertrain that includes a continuously variabletransmission (CVT). Notably, CVTs may offer certain advantages overgeared transmissions, including for instance seamless shifting betweendifferent gear ratios without loss of power during shifting, easiermaintenance, and increased fuel efficiency amongst others. In off-roadvehicles, CVTs are often connected to a geared sub-transmission to offeruser-initiated shifting between different gear settings.

However, combining a CVT with a geared transmission can presentchallenges in maintaining the vehicle's performance in off-roadconditions, and can also introduce issues related to operating a gearedtransmission. Furthermore, the CVT may be strained by the gearedtransmission which can cause wear and tear in the CVT (e.g., in thetransmission belt). In addition, some drivers may not find the shiftingoffered by the geared transmission to be easy to perform.

Moreover, off-road vehicles are sometimes used for utility purposes andcould be better adapted to the usage scenarios in such cases.

Thus there is a desire for a vehicle having a CVT that addresses atleast in part some of these drawbacks.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present technology to ameliorate at least some ofthe inconveniences present in the prior art.

According to one aspect of the present technology, there is provided avehicle comprising: a frame; a plurality of ground-engaging membersoperatively connected to the frame; a plurality of ground-engagingmembers operatively connected to the frame; an internal combustionengine supported by the frame, the engine comprising a crankshaftconfigured to drive at least one of the ground-engaging members; acontinuously variable transmission (CVT) operatively connected to theengine, the CVT comprising: a drive pulley operatively connected to thecrankshaft; a driven pulley operatively connected to the drive pulley;and a transmission belt operatively connecting the drive pulley to thedriven pulley, the CVT being disposed on a right side of the engine; asub-transmission operatively connected to the CVT, the sub-transmissioncomprising: an output shaft rotatable about an output shaft axis; aplurality of sub-transmission driven members mounted to the output shaftand operatively connected to the CVT, the plurality of sub-transmissiondriven members including a first sub-transmission driven member and asecond sub-transmission driven member; a shifter selectively drivinglyengaging the first sub-transmission driven member and the secondsub-transmission driven member with the output shaft; and asub-transmission driving member mounted to the output shaft androtatable therewith; and one of a differential assembly and a spooloperatively connecting the sub-transmission driving member to the atleast one of the ground-engaging members.

In some embodiments, the first sub-transmission driven member is a gear;and the second sub-transmission driven member is a sprocket.

In some embodiments, the plurality of ground-engaging members includesfront ground-engaging members and rear ground-engaging members; and theoutput shaft is operatively connected to the front and rearground-engaging members.

In some embodiments, the one of the differential assembly and the spooloperatively connects the sub-transmission driving member to the rearground-engaging members.

In some embodiments, the sub-transmission driving member is a firstsub-transmission driving member; the sub-transmission further comprisesa second sub-transmission driving member mounted to the output shaft androtatable therewith; and the second sub-transmission driving member isoperatively connected to the front ground-engaging members.

In some embodiments, the vehicle further comprises: a front propellershaft operatively connected to the front ground-engaging members fordriving the front ground-engaging members, the front propeller shaftextending generally longitudinally; and a driven member mounted to thefront propeller shaft for rotation therewith, the driven member beingdrivingly engaged by the second sub-transmission driving member tocouple the front propeller shaft to the output shaft.

In some embodiments, the second sub-transmission driving member is adriving bevel gear; and the driven member is a driven bevel gear meshedwith the driving bevel gear.

In some embodiments, the vehicle further comprises a front differentialassembly operatively connecting the front propeller shaft to the frontground-engaging members, the front differential assembly comprising anelectronic selector for selectively connecting the front propeller shaftto the front ground-engaging members based on a user input.

In some embodiments, the first sub-transmission driving member is ahelical gear.

In some embodiments, the vehicle comprises a dual-clutch transmission(DCT) operatively connected to the CVT, the DCT comprising: a clutchinput member operatively connected to the driven pulley of the CVT to bedriven thereby; a first clutch; a second clutch; a first shaftoperatively connected to the first clutch, the first clutch beingselectively actuated to couple the first shaft to the clutch inputmember; a second shaft operatively connected to the second clutch, thesecond clutch being selectively actuated to couple the second shaft tothe clutch input member; first and second driving members mounted to thefirst shaft; and a third driving member mounted to the second shaft; theplurality of sub-transmission driven members includes a thirdsub-transmission driven member; the first driving member is in drivingengagement with the first sub-transmission driven member; the seconddriving member is in driving engagement with the second sub-transmissiondriven member, the third driving member is in driving engagement withthe third sub-transmission driven member.

In some embodiments, the shifter is operable by a user for selectivelyoperating the DCT in one of a high gear and a reverse gear, such that:when the DCT operates in the high gear, the first clutch is closed, thesecond clutch is open, and the shifter drivingly engages the firstsub-transmission driven member with the output shaft; and when the DCToperates in the reverse gear, the first clutch is closed, the secondclutch is open, and the shifter driving engages the secondsub-transmission driven member with the output shaft.

In some embodiments, the DCT is operable in a low gear; and when the DCToperates in the low gear, the first clutch is open and the second clutchis closed such that the second shaft drives the output shaft via thethird driving member and the third sub-transmission driven member.

In some embodiments, each clutch of the first clutch and the secondclutch comprises a clutch pack comprising: a plurality of clutch platesoperatively connected to the clutch input member; and a plurality ofclutch disks disposed alternatingly with the clutch plates, the clutchdisks being operatively connected to a corresponding one of the firstand second shafts, for each clutch of the first clutch and the secondclutch, in response to the clutch being closed, the clutch plates andclutch disks of the clutch pack are pressed together to couple theclutch input member to the corresponding one of the first and secondshafts.

In some embodiments, the clutch input member is a clutch gear; and theDCT further comprises a clutch pack drum connected to the clutch gear,the clutch pack drum receiving the clutch pack of each of the first andsecond clutches therein.

In some embodiments, the clutch gear is disposed between the clutchpacks of the first and second clutches.

In some embodiments, the vehicle further comprises: a countershaftoperatively connected to the driven pulley of the CVT, the countershaftrotating about a countershaft axis that extends laterally; and a drivinggear mounted to the countershaft and meshed with the clutch gear.

In some embodiments, the first shaft and the second shaft are coaxial.

In some embodiments, the second shaft is hollow; and the first shaftextends through the second shaft.

For purposes of this application, terms related to spatial orientationsuch as forwardly, rearward, upwardly, downwardly, left, and right, areas they would normally be understood by a driver of the vehicle sittingthereon in a normal riding position. Terms related to spatialorientation when describing or referring to components or sub-assembliesof the vehicle, separately from the vehicle should be understood as theywould be understood when these components or sub-assemblies are mountedto the vehicle, unless specified otherwise in this application.

Embodiments of the present technology each have at least one of theabove-mentioned objects and/or aspects, but do not necessarily have allof them. It should be understood that some aspects of the presenttechnology that have resulted from attempting to attain theabove-mentioned object may not satisfy these objects and/or may satisfyother objects not specifically recited herein.

Additional and/or alternative features, aspects and advantages ofembodiments of the present technology will become apparent from thefollowing description, the accompanying drawings and the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present technology, as well as otheraspects and further features thereof, reference is made to the followingdescription which is to be used in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view taken from a top, rear, left side of anoff-road vehicle according to an embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view taken from a top, rear, right side of partof a powertrain of the vehicle of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the part of the powertrain of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4 is perspective view taken from a top, rear, right side of anengine, part of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and adual-clutch transmission (DCT) of the powertrain of FIG. 2 , shown in anexploded configuration;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the engine, the part of the CVT and the DCTof FIG. 4 , shown in the exploded configuration;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of part of the powertrain of FIG. 2 ,including part of the CVT and internal components of the DCT;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view taken from a top and rear side of across-section of the part of the powertrain of FIG. 6 ;

FIG. 8 is detailed view of section 8 in FIG. 7 ;

FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of a driven helical gear and a spool ofthe vehicle according to an alternative embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a controller for controlling operation ofthe DCT of FIG. 4 ; and

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a method for operating the vehicle of FIG.1 according to an embodiment of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present technology will be described with respect to a four-wheel,off-road vehicle 10 having two side-by-side seats and a steering wheel(i.e. a side-by-side vehicle (SSV)). However, it is contemplated that atleast some aspects of the present technology may apply to other types ofvehicles such as, but not limited to, off-road vehicles having astraddle seat and a handlebar (i.e. an all-terrain vehicle (ATV)),off-road vehicles having a single bucket-type seat, off-road vehicleswith more than four wheels, off-road vehicles having ground-engagingmembers other than wheels, and other types of vehicles.

The general features of the off-road vehicle 10 will now be describedherein with respect to FIG. 1 . The vehicle 40 has a frame 12. The frame12 defines a central cockpit area 22 inside which are disposed a driverseat 24 and a passenger seat (not shown). In the present implementation,the driver seat 24 is disposed on the left side of the vehicle 10 andthe passenger seat is disposed on the right side of the vehicle 10.However, it is contemplated that the driver seat 24 could be disposed onthe right side of the vehicle 10 and that the passenger seat could bedisposed on the left side of the vehicle 10. It is also contemplatedthat the vehicle 10 could include a single seat for the driver, or alarger number of seats, or a bench accommodating the driver and at leastone passenger. The vehicle 10 also includes a roll cage 30 connected tothe frame 12 and extending at least partially over the driver seat 24and the passenger seat. The frame 12 also has a front area 34 and a reararea 36 disposed forwardly and rearwardly of the central cockpit area 22respectively.

The vehicle 12 includes left and right front wheels 14 connected to theframe 12 by a pair of front suspension assemblies 16. Left and rightrear wheels 18 are connected to the frame 12 by a pair of rearsuspension assemblies 20. The vehicle 10 has a brake system 38 (FIG. 10) including four brake assemblies 39 (two of which are shown in FIG. 1), each one being operatively connected to a respective one of thewheels 14, 18. Each brake assembly 39 includes a brake disc and acaliper disposed around its corresponding brake disc. Each caliper isconnected to a corresponding brake line. Each caliper includes a pair ofbrake pads positioned on opposite sides of its respective brake disc.The brake assemblies are actuated by actuating the calipers byapplication of a fluid pressure in the brake lines, thereby causing thebrake pads to apply pressure on their respective brake discs.

The vehicle 10 has a steering wheel 28 operatively connected to thefront wheels 14 for controlling a steering angle of the front wheels 14.The driver operates the steering wheel 28 from the driver seat 24. Thesteering wheel 28 is disposed in front of the driver seat 24. A steeringposition sensor (not shown) is operatively connected to the steeringwheel 28, via a steering assembly, for determining a steering angle ofthe front wheels 14. The vehicle 10 also includes a dashboard 23disposed forward of the driver seat 24 and the passenger seat. Anaccelerator 40 (schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 ) in the form of athrottle pedal is disposed over the floor of the cockpit area 22 belowthe steering wheel 28 and in front of the driver seat 24. An acceleratorposition sensor 41 (FIG. 10 ) is operatively connected to theaccelerator 40 to sense movement thereof caused by the driver inoperation.

A plurality of body panels 35 are provided on the vehicle 10 to concealthe internal components of the vehicle 10 and to enclose the cabin ofthe vehicle 10.

A powertrain of the vehicle 10 includes a motor 50 (partially shown inFIG. 1 ) that is connected to the frame 12 in a rear portion of thevehicle 10. In this embodiment, the motor 50 is an internal combustionengine. As best shown in FIG. 4 , the engine 50 has a crankcase 52, acylinder block 54 defining three cylinders (not shown) connected on topof the crankcase 52 and a cylinder head 56 connected on top of thecylinder block 54. The engine 50 has a crankshaft (not shown) disposedin the crankcase 52 and driven by the motion of the engine's pistons(not shown) disposed in the cylinders. An engine output shaft 58 (FIGS.4, 5 ) extends outwardly from the crankcase 52 on a right side thereofand is connected to the crankshaft to rotate therewith. As such, in thisembodiment, the engine output shaft 58 extends along a lateral directionof the vehicle 10. The engine output shaft 58 operatively connects thecrankshaft to the front and rear wheels 14, 18 for driving thereof. Inother embodiments, only the front wheels 14 or only the rear wheels 18may be driven by the crankshaft.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , an air intake system 70 is provided to feedair to respective inlet ports of the engine's cylinders. The air intakesystem 70 includes an airbox 72, an air cleaner 74 downstream from theairbox 72 and an air intake plenum 76 that is connected to the engine50. An exhaust system 80 discharges exhaust gases from the engine 50.The exhaust system 80 includes an exhaust manifold 82 connected to theengine 50 to receive exhaust gases from respective exhaust ports of thecylinders of the engine 50, a resonator 84 connected to the exhaustmanifold 82, and a tail pipe 86 connected to the resonator 84. The airintake system 70 and the exhaust system 80 may be configured differentlyin other embodiments.

The vehicle 10 includes an engine control module (ECM) for monitoringand controlling various operations of the engine 50. The ECM iscommunicatively connected to the accelerator position sensor 41 forreceiving signals for controlling a throttle valve (not shown) of theengine 50. The engine 50 also includes a throttle position sensor (notshown) operatively connected to the throttle valve and communicativelyconnected to the ECM for monitoring the position of the throttle valve.

The engine 50 is connected to a continuously variable transmission (CVT)60 (shown schematically in FIG. 1 ) disposed on a right side of theengine 50. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the CVT 60 includes a drivepulley 62 mounted to the engine output shaft 58, a driven pulley 64mounted to a countershaft 66 for rotation therewith, and a transmissionbelt 68 (shown schematically in FIGS. 4 and 5 ) disposed around bothpulleys 62, 64 to transmit torque from the drive pulley 62 to the drivenpulley 64. As shown in FIG. 6 , the countershaft 66 rotates about acountershaft axis 69 that extends laterally. Returning to FIGS. 4 and 5, each of the pulleys 62, 64 includes a movable sheave that can moveaxially relative to a fixed sheave to modify an effective diameter ofthe corresponding pulley 62, 64. The drive pulley 62 is a centrifugalpulley in that the sheaves thereof move in response to a centrifugalforce applied thereon. The effective diameters of the pulleys 62, 64 arein inverse relationship. In the illustrated embodiment, the CVT 60 is apurely mechanical CVT 60, in which the diameter of the drive pulley 62increases with increasing rotational speed of the drive pulley 62 (i.e.,with increasing engine speed). The effective diameter of the drivenpulley 64 therefore decreases when the torque required at thecountershaft 66 increases. The CVT 60 may thus be referred to as an“unassisted” CVT in that a gear ratio of the CVT 60 (i.e., an effectivediameter of the driven pulley 64 over the effective diameter of thedrive pulley 62) is automatically mechanically adjusted in accordancewith the speed of the engine 50 and the torque requirement at thecountershaft 66. It is contemplated that, in other embodiments, the CVT60 could be an assisted CVT such as a hydraulic CVT.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , a CVT housing 65 encloses the drive pulley62, the driven pulley 64 and the transmission belt 68 therein. In thisembodiment, an air intake 63 is fluidly connected to the CVT housing 65for feeding air thereto from the surrounding environment in order tocool the components of the CVT 60. An air exhaust 67 is also fluidlyconnected to the CVT housing 65 to discharge heated air from the CVThousing 65. The air exhaust 67 may be oriented to discharge the heatedair to warm the occupants of the vehicle 10.

The powertrain of the vehicle 10 also includes a dual-clutchtransmission (DCT) 100 that is operatively connected to the CVT 60. Inthis embodiment, the DCT 100 is disposed rearwardly from the engine 50.The DCT 100 has a housing 102 for enclosing the internal componentsthereof. The housing 102 may be configured to implement a hydraulicsystem of the DCT 100 that ensures the routing of fluid (e.g., oil) todifferent components of the DCT 100 for cooling and/or lubricationthereof. Routing of fluid for actuation of the clutches of the DCT 100is described in more detail below. As shown in FIG. 4 , the countershaft66 that is connected to the driven pulley 64 of the CVT 60 extends intothe housing 102 of the DCT 100. As will be described below, in thisembodiment, a transaxle 222 (FIG. 6 ) is also integrated into thehousing 102 of the DCT 100, in a rear portion thereof, and therefore theDCT 100 could also be referred to as being a “dual-clutch transaxle”. Itis contemplated that the transaxle 222 could be separate from the DCT100 in other embodiments (i.e., not enclosed within the housing 102).

With reference to FIG. 6 , the DCT 100 includes a dual-clutch 104 havingleft and right clutches 106 a, 106 b which are actuatable in a mannerthat will be described in greater detail below. Notably, the clutches106 a, 106 b are closed (i.e., actuated to their respective fully closedpositions) to transmit motion to respective shafts or opened to ceasetransmitting motion to the respective shafts. The dual-clutch 104includes a clutch pack drum 108 that is adapted to rotate inside thehousing 102, and a central clutch gear 110 connected to the clutch packdrum 108. The central clutch gear 110 has teeth 112 adapted to mesh withthe teeth of a driving gear 113 mounted to the countershaft 66. Thecentral clutch gear 110 is thus operatively connected to the drivenpulley 64 via the output gear 113 and the countershaft 66 to be driventhereby. As the central clutch gear 110 provides the input into thedual-clutch 104, the central clutch gear 110 may be referred to as a“clutch input member”. As shown in FIG. 7 , the central clutch gear 110has a left face 114 a and a right face 114 b. The central clutch gear110 defines a clutch gear plane (not shown) and a clutch gear rotationaxis 116 normal to the clutch gear plane. It is to be appreciated thatthe clutch gear rotation axis 116 is parallel to the countershaftrotation axis 69.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the clutch pack drum 108 includes a leftclutch pack basket 118 a disposed on a left side of the central clutchgear 110, and a right clutch pack basket 118 b disposed on a right sideof the central clutch gear 110. The left and right clutch pack baskets118 a, 118 b are interconnected by fasteners that extend through thecentral clutch gear 110 to connect the left and right clutch packbaskets 118 a, 118 b to the central clutch gear 110. The left and rightclutch pack baskets 118 a, 118 b are identical. In some implementations,the left and right clutch pack baskets 118 a, 118 b are symmetricalabout the clutch gear plane. The left and right clutch pack baskets 118a, 118 b could be structured otherwise in other implementations. Each ofthe left and right clutch pack baskets 118 a, 118 b has a cylindricalwall 120 defining internal splines 119, and an end wall 121 normal tothe cylindrical wall 120 and abutting a corresponding one of the leftand right faces 114 a, 114 b of the central clutch gear 110.

Turning now to FIG. 8 , the left clutch 106 a will be described indetail first. The operation of the left and right clutches 106 a, 106 bwill be described further below. The left clutch 106 a has a left clutchpack 122 a that is received in the clutch pack basket 118 a and isdisposed to the left of the central clutch gear 110. The clutch pack 122a includes a plurality of clutch plates 124 having teeth (not shown)extending away from the clutch gear rotation axis 116 and engaging thesplines 119 of the clutch pack basket 118 a for rotating with the clutchpack drum 108. The clutch plates 124 are movable axially in a directiondefined by the clutch gear rotation axis 116. The clutch plates 124 havedisc surfaces including relatively low friction material. The leftclutch pack 122 a further includes a plurality of clutch disks 126disposed alternatingly with the clutch plates 124 in the directiondefined by the clutch gear rotation axis 116. The clutch disks 126 havedisc surfaces including a relatively high friction material. The clutchdisks 126 have teeth 128 extending towards the clutch gear rotation axis116. The clutch disks 126 are also movable axially in the directiondefined by the clutch gear rotation axis 116. As will become apparentfrom the description below, when the clutch disks 126 are selectivelyengaged by the clutch plates 124, the clutch disks 126 rotate with theclutch pack drum 108.

A left clutch hub 130 is received in the clutch pack 122 a and isdisposed to the left of the central clutch gear 110. The clutch hub 130defines splines 131 structured to engage with the teeth 128 of theclutch disks 126 of the clutch pack 122 a. The clutch disks 126 aremovable axially relative to the clutch hub 130 in the direction definedby the clutch gear rotation axis 116 as the teeth 128 slide axially inthe splines 131. When the clutch disks 126 are selectively engaged bythe clutch plates 124, the clutch hub 130 rotates with the clutch packdrum 108. The clutch hub 130 has three arms 134 (one of which are shownin FIG. 8 ) connecting a rim portion of the clutch hub 130 (defining thesplines 131) to a central portion 136 of the clutch hub 130. The centralportion 136 defines splines 138.

A lubrication cover 139 is also received in the clutch pack 122 a. Thelubrication cover 139 is disposed to the left of the central clutch gear110 and to the right of the left clutch hub 130. The lubrication cover139 and the clutch hub 130 are interconnected. The lubrication cover 139defines a plurality of apertures (not shown) on a rim portion thereof.The lubrication cover 139 defines passages (not shown) that are adaptedfor allowing flow of fluid therethrough.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the left clutch 106 a also includes a pressureplate 140 disposed to the left of the central clutch gear 110. Thepressure plate 140 is disposed between the central clutch gear 110 andthe lubrication cover 139. A ring 142 is connected to a hub of thecentral clutch gear 110, and coil spring assemblies 144 interconnect thepressure plate 140 to the central clutch gear 110. The pressure plate140 rotates with the central clutch gear 110, and is movable axially inthe direction of the central gear rotation axis 116 upon compression andextension of the coil spring assemblies 144. The pressure plate 140 hasa left face 146 including a rim portion 148. The rim portion 148 of thepressure plate 140 is structured to selectively engage the clutch plate124 that is closest to the central clutch gear 110. The pressure plate140 also has a right face 150 where six pads 152 project therefrom. Thepads 152 are structured for abutting the left face 114 a of the centralclutch gear 110 and to leave a spacing between the left face 114 a ofthe central clutch gear 110 and the right face 150 of the pressure plate140. A chamber 154 is defined between the left face 114 a of the centralclutch gear 110 and the right face 150 of the pressure plate 140. Seals155 are disposed between the pressure plate 140 and the central clutchgear 110 to prevent fluid from escaping the chamber 154 through theregions where the seals 155 extend. The pressure plate 140 furtherdefines a pressure plate passage (not shown) extending between the leftand right faces 146, 150. The pressure plate passage is adapted forallowing flow of fluid therethrough.

A shaft 160 a is connected to the left clutch hub 130 via teeth (notshown) engaging the splines 138 of the central portion 136 of the leftclutch hub 130. The shaft 160 a is coaxial with the clutch gear rotationaxis 116. The shaft 160 a defines passages 161 (one of which is shown inFIG. 8 ) adapted for flowing fluid therethrough. Referring to FIGS. 6and 7 , driving members 162, 164 are mounted to the shaft 160 a, at alocation to the right of the clutch pack drum 108, to rotate with theshaft 160 a about the central gear rotation axis 116. In particular, inthis embodiment, the driving members 162, 164 are a transmission gear162 and a driving sprocket 164 respectively. It is contemplated thatmore or fewer driving members could be mounted to the shaft 160 a inother embodiments.

When fluid is selectively supplied in one of the passages 161 of theshaft 160 a from a pump 75 (FIG. 10 ), fluid flows through the shaft 160a in the passage 161, through passages (not shown) defined by thecentral clutch gear 110 and into the chamber 154. Since the pads 152abut the left face 114 a of the central clutch gear 110, fluid flowsthrough the spacing between the pressure plate 140 and the centralclutch gear 110, and fills the chamber 154. The pads 152 are thusstructured for selectively allowing flow of fluid from the passage 161to the chamber 154. When the left clutch 106 a is selectively actuated,fluid is selectively supplied with sufficient pressure by the pump 75,and the pressurized fluid in the chamber 154 overcomes the biasing forceof the coil spring assemblies 144 and moves the pressure plate 140axially away from the central clutch gear 110 (i.e. toward the left ofthe central clutch gear 200). This closes the left clutch 106 a, notablycausing the pressure plate 140 to selectively squeeze the clutch plates124 and the clutch disks 126 together for engaging the clutch plates 124with the clutch disks 126. The left clutch hub 130 and the lubricationcover 139 are thus rotatable with the clutch pack drum 108 and thecentral clutch gear 110, and the shaft 160 a is coupled to the centralclutch gear 110 and therefore drives the driving members 162, 164 aboutthe central gear rotation axis 116.

As some of the fluid escapes the chamber 154 through the pressure platepassage, fluid flows in the front clutch pack 122 a and lubricates andcools the clutch plates 124, the clutch disks 126, and the clutch packbasket 118 a. Fluid flows through holes of the clutch pack basket 118 a,is collected in the housing 102 and is returned to the pump 75 forrecirculation in the DCT 100. It is thus to be understood that in orderfor the pressure plate 140 to selectively squeeze the clutch pack 122 a,pressurized fluid is continuously supplied in the chamber 154 by thepump 75.

The left clutch 106 a may also be lubricated and cooled by fluid routedthrough the other passages 161 defined by the shaft 160 a.

Once the left clutch 106 a is deactivated (i.e., opened), the pump 75substantially ceases pressurizing the chamber 154 and fluid is thusdischarged from the chamber 154, and the pressure plate 140 is biased bythe coil spring assemblies 144 back against the left face 114 a of thecentral clutch gear 110. The clutch plates 124 and clutch disks 126 arethus disengaged from each other and the shaft 160 a is uncoupled fromthe central clutch gear 110.

The right clutch 106 b is, for the most part, a mirror image of the leftclutch 106 a about the gear plane of the central clutch gear 110. Assuch, only the differences between the right clutch 106 b and the leftclutch 106 a will be described herein. The parts of the right clutch 106b corresponding to those of the first left 106 a have been identifiedwith the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 8 , a hollow shaft 160 b is connected to the rightclutch hub 130 of the right clutch 106 b via the splines (not shown)defined in the central portion 136 of the clutch hub 130. The shaft 160a extends through the shaft 160 b such that the shafts 160 a, 160 b arecoaxial. A driving member 166 is mounted to the shaft 160 b, at alocation to the right of the clutch pack drum 108, to rotate therewithabout the central gear rotation axis 116. In this embodiment, thedriving member 166 is a transmission gear 166. It is contemplated thatadditional driving members could be mounted to the shaft 160 b in otherembodiments.

When the right clutch 106 b is selectively actuated to the fully closedposition, fluid is selectively supplied with sufficient pressure by thepump 75 through a different one of the passages 161 of the shaft 160 a,and the pressurized fluid in the chamber 154 of the right clutch 106 bovercomes the biasing force of the coil spring assemblies 144 and movesthe pressure plate 140 axially away from the central clutch gear 110(i.e. toward the right of the central clutch gear 200). This closes theright clutch 106 b, notably causing the pressure plate 140 toselectively squeeze the clutch plates 124 and the clutch disks 126together for engaging the clutch plates 124 with the clutch disks 126.The right clutch hub 130 and the lubrication cover 139 are thusrotatable with the clutch pack drum 108 and the central clutch gear 110,and the shaft 160 b is coupled to the central clutch gear 110 andtherefore drives the driving member 166 about the central gear rotationaxis 116.

A more complete description of a dual-clutch of the type of thedual-clutch 104 can be found in International Patent ApplicationPublication No. WO 2021/152167 A1, published on Aug. 5, 2021, theentirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

During regular operation, only one of the left clutch 106 a and theright clutch 106 b is actuated to its fully closed position at the sametime so that only the shaft 400 a or the shaft 400 b is coupled to thecentral clutch gear 110 at any one time. However, as will be describedin greater detail further below, in some embodiments, in someoperational conditions, both the left clutch 106 a and the right clutch106 b could be actuated simultaneously.

The DCT 100 also has a sub-transmission 170 enclosed within the housing102 and operatively connected to the shafts 160 a, 160 b. Thesub-transmission 170 includes an output shaft 172 that operativelyconnects the driving members 162, 164, 166 to the front and rear wheels14, 18. The output shaft 172 extends along an output shaft axis 174 thatis parallel to the central gear rotation axis 116. The sub-transmission170 has driven members 176, 177, 178 that are mounted to the outputshaft 172 and are in driving engagement with respective ones of thetransmission gears 162, 166 and the sprocket 164. In particular, thedriven members 176, 178 of the sub-transmission 170 are gears that aremeshed with the gears 162, 166, while the driven member 177 is a drivensprocket that is operatively connected to the driving sprocket 164. Achain 180 is wrapped around the sprockets 164, 177 to operativelyconnect the driving sprocket 164 to the driven sprocket 177.

The transmission gear 176 and the driven sprocket 177 mounted to theoutput shaft 172 are in selective driving engagement with the outputshaft 172 so that, at any given time, only one or neither of thetransmission gear 176 and the driven sprocket 177 drives the outputshaft 172. In particular, a shifter 190 of the sub-transmission 170selectively drivingly engages one of the transmission gear 176 and thedriven sprocket 177 with the output shaft 172. The shifter 190 includesa dog clutch 192 mounted to the output shaft 172 for rotating togetherwith the output shaft 172. The dog clutch 192 is disposed between thetransmission gear 176 and the driven sprocket 177 and is movable alongthe output shaft axis 174 to selectively engage one of the transmissiongear 176 and the driven sprocket 177 to rotate therewith and therebytransmit motion to the output shaft 172.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 10 , in this embodiment, the shifter 190has an electronic actuator 194 that is controlled by a controller 500.As shown in FIG. 10 , the controller 500 is also in communication with agear setting control input 196 that is operable by the driver of thevehicle to select a gear setting in which the DCT 100 should operate.That is, the controller 500 controls the electronic actuator 194 on thebasis of a signal received from the gear setting control input 196. Inthis embodiment, the gear setting control input 196 includes a pluralityof buttons disposed in the cabin of the vehicle 10 and are operable bythe user to select the gear setting in which to operate the DCT 100.When the signal from the gear setting control input 196 indicatesoperation of the DCT 100 in a “high gear” associated with a high outputspeed of the DCT 100, the electronic actuator 194 moves the dog clutch192 leftward to engage the transmission gear 176 and thereby couple thetransmission gear 176 to the output shaft 172. As will be understood,when the DCT 100 operates in the high gear, the right clutch 106 b isopen and the left clutch 106 a is closed such that the shaft 160 a iscoupled to the central clutch gear 110. When the signal from the gearsetting control input 196 indicates operation of the DCT 100 in a “lowgear” associated with a high torque output of the DCT 100, thecontroller 500, which is in communication with the pump 75, causes theleft clutch 106 a to open (i.e., to be deactivated) and the right clutch106 b to close such that the shaft 160 b drives the output shaft 172 viathe transmission gears 166, 178. When the signal from the gear settingcontrol input 196 indicates operation of the DCT 100 in a “reversegear”, the electronic actuator 194 moves the dog clutch 192 rightward toengage the driven sprocket 177 and thereby couple the driven sprocket177 to the output shaft 172. As such, the output shaft 172 can berotated in a reverse rotation direction. As will be understood, when theDCT 100 operates in the reverse gear, the right clutch 106 b is open andthe left clutch 106 a is closed such that the shaft 160 a is coupled tothe central clutch gear 110. When the signal from the gear settingcontrol input 196 indicates operation of the DCT 100 in a “neutralgear”, the controller 500 causes both clutches 106 a, 106 b to open suchthat neither of the shafts 160 a, 160 b is coupled to the central clutchgear 110 and therefore the output shaft 172 is not driven by either ofthe shafts 160 a, 160 b.

In this embodiment, the controller 500 can automatically shift the DCT100 between the high and low gears by controlling the clutches 106 a,106 b and the shifter 190. For instance, the controller 500 candetermine whether to operate the DCT 100 in the high or low gear basedon vehicle parameters (e.g., a speed and/or acceleration of the vehicle10) and automatically shift to the high or low gear based on thosevehicle parameters. This can contribute to facilitating operation of thevehicle 10 and may make its operation more intuitive.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the controller 500 has a processor unit 502 forcarrying out executable code, and a non-transitory memory unit 504 thatstores the executable code in a non-transitory medium (not shown)included in the memory unit 504. The processor unit 502 includes one ormore processors for performing processing operations that implementfunctionality of the controller 500. The processor unit 502 may be ageneral-purpose processor or may be a specific-purpose processorcomprising one or more preprogrammed hardware or firmware elements(e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC s), electricallyerasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), etc.) or otherrelated elements. The non-transitory medium of the memory unit 504 maybe a semiconductor memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM) and/orrandom-access memory (RAM)), a magnetic storage medium, an opticalstorage medium, and/or any other suitable type of memory. While thecontroller 500 is represented as being one control unit in thisimplementation, it is understood that the controller 500 could compriseseparate control units for controlling components separately and that atleast some of these control units could communicate with each other. Itis contemplated that the controller 500 could be the ECM or be incommunication therewith.

It is contemplated that, in other embodiments, the shifter 190 may bemechanical in nature instead of electronic. In such embodiments, thegear setting control input 196 could be a shifter knob that is movableby the driver to different positions associated with the different gearsettings of the DCT 100. Therefore, the electronic actuator 194 would beomitted and the shifter knob would be operatively connected to the dogclutch 192 by a plurality of links.

With reference to FIG. 6 , the sub-transmission 170 has two outputdriving members 200, 202 for transmitting motion to the front wheels 14and to the rear wheels 18 respectively. In this embodiment, the outputdriving member 200 is a driving bevel gear 200 that is mounted to theoutput shaft 172 for rotation therewith. The driving bevel gear 200 isdisposed near a right end of the output shaft 172 (rightward from thedriven sprocket 177). The driving bevel gear 200 is meshed with a drivenbevel gear 204 that is mounted to a front propeller shaft 206. The frontpropeller shaft 206 is operatively connected to the front wheels 14 todrive the front wheels 14. The front propeller shaft 206 defines a frontpropeller shaft axis 205 extending generally longitudinally.Furthermore, in this embodiment, the front propeller shaft 206 isoperatively connected to a front differential assembly 210 (illustratedschematically in FIG. 6 ) which in turn is operatively connected to thefront wheels 14 via respective axles. The front differential assembly210 includes an electronic selector 212 for selectively connecting thefront propeller shaft 206 to the front wheels 14 based on a user inputcommunicated to the electronic selector 212. As such, the front wheels14 can be disconnected from or connected to the front propeller shaft206.

As shown in FIG. 6 , in this embodiment, the output driving member 202is a driving helical gear 202 that is mounted to the output shaft 172for rotation therewith. The driving helical gear 202 is disposed axiallybetween the transmission gears 176, 178. The driving helical gear 202 ismeshed with a driven helical gear 220 disposed rearwardly of the drivinghelical gear 202. In this embodiment, the driven helical gear 220 isconnected to the transaxle 222 which includes a rear differentialassembly 223 that receives the axles of the left and right rear wheels18 to drive the rear wheels 18. It is contemplated that, in someembodiments, the rear differential assembly 223 could be provided on itsown (i.e., not part of a transaxle). For instance, in such embodiments,the rear differential assembly 223 could be disposed outside of thehousing 102 of the DCT 100 and operatively connected to the output shaft172 via a rear propeller shaft.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9 , the driven helicalgear 220 could be connected to a spool 225 (e.g., a full spool) that isoperatively connected to the rear wheels 18. The spool 225 has twoopposite ends 226, 228 that are internally splined to receive the axlesof the left and right rear wheels 18 for driving thereof. A flange 230of the spool 225 is fastened to the driven helical gear 220 (shown indashed lines in FIG. 9 ).

By combining the use of the of the CVT 60 and the dual-clutch 104 of theDCT 100, the performance of the vehicle 10 may be improved overconventional powertrain configurations having a CVT and asub-transmission. In particular, problems associated with gear shiftingin geared transmissions may be reduced as the capability of selectivelyopening and closing the clutches 106 a, 106 b allows the gear shiftingof the sub-transmission 170 to take place on a corresponding one of theshafts 160 a, 160 b that is uncoupled to the central clutch gear 110. Assuch, the vehicle 10 does not need to be stopped to shift from low gearto high gear for example. This may thus provide a more seamless gearshifting experience to the driver. In addition, the dual-clutch 104 mayalso facilitate implementing different drive modes that use particularshifting patterns between the gear settings. The life cycle of thetransmission belt 68 of the CVT 60 may also be prolonged since thedual-clutch 104 allows the vehicle 10 to start moving with the low gearengaged without having to subsequently stop the vehicle 10 if a shift tothe high gear is desired. Therefore, when the vehicle 10 starts moving,torque can always be transmitted by the transmission belt 68 with thelow gear engaged which places less strain on the transmission belt 68.The use of the dual-clutch 104 may also minimize torque interruptions inthe drivetrain of the vehicle 10, and the performance of the vehicle 10in off-road conditions may be improved. In addition, the combination ofthe CVT 60 and the dual-clutch 104 may offer a quieter performancecompared to conventional powertrain configurations that are oftencharacterized by noises caused by grinding or impacting gears.

With reference to FIG. 11 , as mentioned above, in some embodiments,both clutches 106 a, 106 b of the dual-clutch 104 could be closed at thesame time according to a method 1000 for operating the vehicle 10. Themethod 1000 begins with step 1010 in which the controller 500 determinesif the vehicle 10 is substantially stationary. The term “substantiallystationary” refers to the vehicle 10 being either immobile or very closeto immobile. In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 is determined to besubstantially stationary based on a plurality of operating parameters ofthe vehicle 10. In particular, in this example, the controller 500considers three operating parameters of the vehicle 10 to determine ifthe vehicle 10 is substantially stationary. In particular, one of theoperating parameters of the vehicle 10 is a duration of activation ofthe brake system 38 of the vehicle 10, represented in FIG. 11 as timeT_(B). The duration of activation of the brake system 38 is the amountof time that the brake system 38 has been activated continuously (i.e.,how long the brake pedal of the vehicle 10 is being held down by thedriver). Another one of the operating parameters of the vehicle 10 is anoperating parameter indicative of a throttle request of the engine 50.The operating parameter indicative of the throttle request of the engine50 namely indicates a throttle request TH from the engine 50. In thisembodiment, the operating parameter indicative of the throttle requestof the engine 50 is the position of the accelerator 41, as transmittedto the controller 500 by the accelerator position sensor 41 (FIG. 10 ).A full throttle level (i.e., 100% throttle level) therefore correspondsto the accelerator 40 being completely pressed down by the driver. It iscontemplated that other operating parameters indicative of the throttlerequest of the engine 50 could be used instead in other embodiments(e.g., a position of the throttle valve of the engine 50). In thisembodiment, the third operating parameter of the vehicle 10 used todetermine if the vehicle 10 is substantially stationary is a speed VS ofthe vehicle 10, as transmitted to the controller 500 by a speed sensor515 (FIG. 10 ).

To determine if the vehicle 10 is substantially stationary, at step1010, the controller 500 compares the time T_(B) to a predeterminedbrake activation time T1. In this example, the predetermined brakeactivation time T1 is 0.5 seconds. The controller 500 also compares thethrottle request TH indicated by the operating parameter indicative ofthe throttle request of the engine 50 to a predetermined throttle levelY. In this example, the predetermined throttle level Y is 1% (i.e.,indicative of a 1% opening of the throttle valve). The controller 500also compares the speed VS of the vehicle 10 to a predetermined vehiclespeed S₁. In this example, the predetermined vehicle speed S₁ is 1 km/h.In this embodiment, if the time T_(B) is greater than the predeterminedbrake activation time T1, the throttle request TH indicated by theoperating parameter indicative of the throttle request of the engine 50is less than the predetermined throttle level Y, and the speed VS of thevehicle 10 is less than the predetermined vehicle speed S₁, then thecontroller 500 determines that the vehicle 10 is substantiallystationary.

It is contemplated that, in other embodiments, only one or two of theoperating parameters of the vehicle 10 could be used to determine if thevehicle 10 is substantially stationary.

If the controller 500 determines that the vehicle 10 is notsubstantially stationary (i.e., nonstationary), the method 1000 returnsto the beginning of the method 1000 (i.e., keeps determining if thevehicle is substantially stationary). If the controller 500 determinesthat the vehicle 10 is substantially stationary, the method 1000proceeds to step 1020. At step 1020, in response to determining that thevehicle 10 is substantially stationary, the controller 500 actuates bothclutches 106 a, 106 b to cause simultaneous driving engagement of bothshafts 160 a, 160 b with the output shaft 172 of the sub-transmission170. Since the gear ratio established between the transmission gears166, 178 is different from the gear ratio established between thetransmission gears 162, 176, and from the gear ratio established betweenthe sprockets 164, 177 (in addition to providing rotation in oppositedirections), causing the simultaneous driving engagement of both shafts160 a, 160 b with the output shaft 172 locks the output shaft 172. Thatis, the output shaft 172 cannot be rotated in either rotation direction.As such, the DCT 100 temporarily prevents the vehicle 10 from movingforward or in reverse without having to put the vehicle 10 into park orkeeping the brakes 39 activated. This may be particularly useful fordrivers that have to frequently exit the vehicle 10 for short durationsof time (e.g., workers).

Once both the clutches 106 a, 106 b have been actuated to lock theoutput shaft 172, the method 1000 proceeds to step 1030. At step 1030,the controller 500 either receives a request from the accelerator 41 toincrease the throttle request from the engine 50 such that the throttlerequest TH indicated by the operating parameter indicative of thethrottle request of the engine 50 is greater than the predeterminedthrottle level Y, or the controller 500 determines that the vehicle 10is nonstationary (i.e., if it has started moving). In this embodiment,the controller 500 determines if the vehicle 10 is nonstationary basedon the speed VS of the vehicle 10. In particular, in this embodiment,the controller 500 determines that the vehicle 10 is nonstationary inresponse to the speed VS of the vehicle 10 being greater than apredetermined vehicle speed S₂. In this example, the predeterminedvehicle speed S₂ is 10 km/h.

If at step 1030 the controller 500 has not received the request toincrease the throttle from the engine 50 to a level greater than thepredetermined throttle level Y, or if the controller 500 determines thatthe vehicle 10 is not nonstationary (i.e., stationary), the method 1000keeps repeating the step 1030. On the other hand, if the controller 500receives the request to increase the throttle to a level greater thanthe predetermined throttle level Y, or the controller 500 determinesthat the vehicle 10 is nonstationary, the method 1000 proceeds to step1040. At step 1040, the controller 500 deactivates the left clutch 106 aor the right clutch 106 b to release driving engagement of the shaft 160a (if deactivating the left clutch 106 a) or the shaft 160 b (ifdeactivating the right clutch 106 b) with the output shaft 172 of thesub-transmission 170. The output shaft 172 is therefore unlocked as soonas the left clutch 106 a or the right clutch 106 b is deactivated.

Next, the method 1000 proceeds to step 1050 whereby the controller 500returns to controlling the clutches 106 a, 106 b according to the gearselection of the shifter 190 of the vehicle 10 as during regularoperation. That is, the controller 500 determines the appropriate gearselection based on operating parameters (e.g., vehicle speed) and/or ona user input at the gear setting control input 196. The method 1000 canthen once again start from the beginning.

Modifications and improvements to the above-described embodiments of thepresent technology may become apparent to those skilled in the art. Theforegoing description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting.The scope of the present technology is therefore intended to be limitedsolely by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle comprising: a frame; a plurality ofground-engaging members operatively connected to the frame; an internalcombustion engine supported by the frame, the engine comprising acrankshaft configured to drive at least one of the ground-engagingmembers; a continuously variable transmission (CVT) operativelyconnected to the engine, the CVT comprising: a drive pulley operativelyconnected to the crankshaft; a driven pulley operatively connected tothe drive pulley; and a transmission belt operatively connecting thedrive pulley to the driven pulley, the CVT being disposed on a rightside of the engine; a sub-transmission operatively connected to the CVT,the sub-transmission comprising: an output shaft rotatable about anoutput shaft axis; a plurality of sub-transmission driven membersmounted to the output shaft and operatively connected to the CVT, theplurality of sub-transmission driven members including a firstsub-transmission driven member and a second sub-transmission drivenmember; a shifter selectively drivingly engaging the firstsub-transmission driven member and the second sub-transmission drivenmember with the output shaft; and a sub-transmission driving membermounted to the output shaft and rotatable therewith; and one of adifferential assembly and a spool operatively connecting thesub-transmission driving member to the at least one of theground-engaging members.
 2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein: the firstsub-transmission driven member is a gear; and the secondsub-transmission driven member is a sprocket.
 3. The vehicle of claim 1,wherein: the plurality of ground-engaging members includes frontground-engaging members and rear ground-engaging members; and the outputshaft is operatively connected to the front and rear ground-engagingmembers.
 4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the one of the differentialassembly and the spool operatively connects the sub-transmission drivingmember to the rear ground-engaging members.
 5. The vehicle of claim 4,wherein: the sub-transmission driving member is a first sub-transmissiondriving member; the sub-transmission further comprises a secondsub-transmission driving member mounted to the output shaft androtatable therewith; and the second sub-transmission driving member isoperatively connected to the front ground-engaging members.
 6. Thevehicle of claim 5, further comprising: a front propeller shaftoperatively connected to the front ground-engaging members for drivingthe front ground-engaging members, the front propeller shaft extendinggenerally longitudinally; and a driven member mounted to the frontpropeller shaft for rotation therewith, the driven member beingdrivingly engaged by the second sub-transmission driving member tocouple the front propeller shaft to the output shaft.
 7. The vehicle ofclaim 6, wherein: the second sub-transmission driving member is adriving bevel gear; and the driven member is a driven bevel gear meshedwith the driving bevel gear.
 8. The vehicle of claim 6, furthercomprising a front differential assembly operatively connecting thefront propeller shaft to the front ground-engaging members, the frontdifferential assembly comprising an electronic selector for selectivelyconnecting the front propeller shaft to the front ground-engagingmembers based on a user input.
 9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein thefirst sub-transmission driving member is a helical gear.
 10. The vehicleof claim 1, wherein: the vehicle comprises a dual-clutch transmission(DCT) operatively connected to the CVT, the DCT comprising: a clutchinput member operatively connected to the driven pulley of the CVT to bedriven thereby; a first clutch; a second clutch; a first shaftoperatively connected to the first clutch, the first clutch beingselectively actuated to couple the first shaft to the clutch inputmember; a second shaft operatively connected to the second clutch, thesecond clutch being selectively actuated to couple the second shaft tothe clutch input member; first and second driving members mounted to thefirst shaft; and a third driving member mounted to the second shaft; theplurality of sub-transmission driven members includes a thirdsub-transmission driven member; the first driving member is in drivingengagement with the first sub-transmission driven member; the seconddriving member is in driving engagement with the second sub-transmissiondriven member, the third driving member is in driving engagement withthe third sub-transmission driven member.
 11. The vehicle of claim 10,wherein the shifter is operable by a user for selectively operating theDCT in one of a high gear and a reverse gear, such that: when the DCToperates in the high gear, the first clutch is closed, the second clutchis open, and the shifter drivingly engages the first sub-transmissiondriven member with the output shaft; and when the DCT operates in thereverse gear, the first clutch is closed, the second clutch is open, andthe shifter driving engages the second sub-transmission driven memberwith the output shaft.
 12. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein: the DCT isoperable in a low gear; and when the DCT operates in the low gear, thefirst clutch is open and the second clutch is closed such that thesecond shaft drives the output shaft via the third driving member andthe third sub-transmission driven member.
 13. The vehicle of claim 10,wherein each clutch of the first clutch and the second clutch comprisesa clutch pack comprising: a plurality of clutch plates operativelyconnected to the clutch input member; and a plurality of clutch disksdisposed alternatingly with the clutch plates, the clutch disks beingoperatively connected to a corresponding one of the first and secondshafts, for each clutch of the first clutch and the second clutch, inresponse to the clutch being closed, the clutch plates and clutch disksof the clutch pack are pressed together to couple the clutch inputmember to the corresponding one of the first and second shafts.
 14. Thevehicle of claim 13, wherein: the clutch input member is a clutch gear;and the DCT further comprises a clutch pack drum connected to the clutchgear, the clutch pack drum receiving the clutch pack of each of thefirst and second clutches therein.
 15. The vehicle of claim 14, whereinthe clutch gear is disposed between the clutch packs of the first andsecond clutches.
 16. The vehicle of claim 14, further comprising: acountershaft operatively connected to the driven pulley of the CVT, thecountershaft rotating about a countershaft axis that extends laterally;and a driving gear mounted to the countershaft and meshed with theclutch gear.
 17. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the first shaft andthe second shaft are coaxial.
 18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein: thesecond shaft is hollow; and the first shaft extends through the secondshaft.